Many consumers express their opinions about products and services on the Internet. Indeed, review sites such as Yelp.com are built on user reviews. Companies that pay attention to what their customers are saying about their products and services can adapt or change designs in the next product cycle or contact unsatisfied customers of existing products to ensure that their satisfaction is maintained.
Aside from product review sites, many customers express their sentiment toward a product or service using means that aren't as quantifiable as a review site with numbered or graded ratings. For example, a customer may post a comment on a company's support message board about a video game stating “I love this game,” or “it has great graphics, but needs a better story.” These posts often do not have an empirical rating system that may be used to gauge how strongly the customer feels. The customer may also express their feelings and opinions on a message board unaffiliated with the company, or on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter.